So if I hear a “Christian” say, “the Lord has touched my heart”, am I free to interpret that anyway I wish? If I am, then wouldn’t I be exposing myself to the possibility of a misinterpretation? Do Christians want their figurative language to be misinterpreted? If so, then they’re doing a good job. If not, then why don’t they offer secular translations to those of us who desire one?
Moral Jeff,
Thanks for spelling it out clearly like that. What you said is for the most part precisely what I suspected. The analogy of the movie seems to be right on the mark.
I think your smart enough to figure it out. Whether you do or not will be a function of your interest. People who are interested in a subculture usually have no problem learning it’s jargon. So if you were interested in hip hop you would pick up and learn the jargon…no sweat. Or if you were into hacking you would learn hacking terms. It’s far more complex than the Christian jargon. Guys will learn to speak a foreign language just to pick up girls. If God is real it would behoove an English speaker to learn Chinese if that’s what it took to communicate with Him.
It’s clear to me it’s jargon. But why do Christians engage in hypocritical behavior? They want to spread their faith using their jargon, but aren’t willing (or perhaps aren’t able) to translate it into secular terms. It’s almost as if it’s some kind of deep dark secret of theirs. What they don’t seem to be aware of is actions speak louder than words. So how can I take a Christian seriously if he/she isn’t willing or able to translate figurative language into secular terms but tells me that their faith is the way?
